Kalimantan Forest and Land Fires Increasingly Critical, Hasan Basri Urges the President to Declare a National Disaster and Conduct a Full Evaluation of the Management

14 October 2026 oleh admin

Jakarta, dpd.go.id — The escalation of forest and land fires (Karhutla) in various regions of Kalimantan, especially Central Kalimantan and its surroundings, has reached a very worrying point.

The thick haze surrounding residential areas, the serious threat to public health, and the paralysis of daily activities mean that regional-level response is no longer adequate.

In response to this critical situation, the Chairperson of the DPD RI Household Affairs Committee (PURT) and Chairperson of the Kalimantan Caucus, Hasan Basri, firmly stated his support for the President of the Republic of Indonesia to immediately take extraordinary steps by declaring forest and land fires a National Disaster.

This pressure was strengthened by the sting operation (OTT) carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against officials within the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

The arrest incident is considered to be clear evidence that the governance and integrity of disaster management institutions in Indonesia are experiencing an acute crisis and require fundamental improvements.

Hasan Basri explained that senators from Kalimantan have consistently voiced the suffering of the people in their respective constituencies.

According to him, the current approach to handling forest and land fires is trapped in a slow, bureaucratic pattern (business as usual) that is ineffective in curbing the spread of fire hotspots.

"We, the Kalimantan Caucus, urge the President to pay special attention. Forest and land fires in Kalimantan are no longer just a seasonal ecological disaster, but a real threat to the lives of millions of citizens. Therefore, declaring a National Disaster Status is essential to ensure a more serious, focused, and optimal response," said Hasan Basri in Jakarta.

With National Disaster status, total mobilization of state resources can be carried out.

The central government has full legitimacy to mobilize all national instruments across sectors—from the massive deployment of weather modification technology, the addition of TNI/Polri emergency personnel, the provision of ready-to-stand health facilities for ISPA victims, to uncompromising law enforcement against rogue corporations that allow or become the source of land burning.

Amidst the cries of the people of Kalimantan who are struggling with the smoke, the public was again shocked by the news of legal action by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against BNPB officials.

Hasan Basri assessed this legal incident as a hard slap and an alarm that the disaster mitigation and management system in the country must be evaluated completely.

"It's deeply ironic and violates the public's sense of justice. While the people of Kalimantan are suffering from haze and limited disaster management facilities, allegations of corruption are occurring within the disaster management authority itself at the central level. This is an intolerable moral scandal," the Senator from North Kalimantan asserted. Therefore, the DPD RI's Kalimantan Caucus is urging a thorough and impartial investigation of the KPK's legal action.

On the other hand, the President of the Republic of Indonesia is asked to immediately use this momentum to completely overhaul the budget management system and disaster management operations so that mitigation funds actually reach and are felt by the people in the affected areas, and are not misused by irresponsible individuals.

"Don't let the people of Kalimantan continue to fall victim to weak oversight and a corrupt bureaucratic mindset regarding disaster management. The state must be present, the president must be firm, and declare a National Disaster now!" Hasan Basri concluded.